Sonor Vintage Series Drum Kit

98
| JANUARY 2016 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
A
s the drum world forges ahead
with new innovations there is a
defi nite parallel movement
towards resurrecting some of
the better aspects of vintage styles. Gretsch
and Ludwig have done it and now it is
Sonor’s turn. Sonor was founded in 1875,
which makes 2015 its 140th anniversary,
older than Gretsch and Ludwig (both, by the
way, started by German émigrés to the USA).
In the UK of the 1960s, Trixon was more
visible, but Sonor was already quietly making
top quality ‘teardrop’ lug kits. So elongated
were these lugs that they had to be offset on
the shallower snares and toms, creating a
chic image which Sonor has recreated in its
new Vintage Series.
Build
The aim is to recapture the vibe of that
period from the 1950s when Sonor
modernised, up till the mid-1970s when the
more familiar, heavy-duty Sonor kicked in.
The ’50s was a time of massive change in the
drum world and Sonor, as with UK and US
drums, was evolving fast. Crucial features
were the beech shells and the imaginative
hardware and fi ttings.
Let’s start with those shells. Hand-selected
premium German beech wood is layered in
nine plies, 6mm thick, constructed using
Sonor’s cross-laminated tension free (CLTF)
system. Instead of today’s 45° bearing edges
the Vintage series returns to the increasingly
popular rounded bearing edges, the summit
of which is lovely and smooth. Inside the
shells display the warm reddish tint of the
beech and Sonor trademark vertical inner ply.
Sonor is marketing two set-ups, the
Three20 and the Three22. You can buy drums
separately though, with a choice of 12 vintage
sizes. The extended review set-up is 22"x14",
13"x8", 14"x12", 16"x14" with 14"x5¾" snare.
From £438 Sonor joins the vintage reprisal trend with this stunningly
elegant kit which is sure to grab a whole new generation of admirers
SONOR VINTAGE
SERIES DRUM KIT
WORDS: GEOFF NICHOLLS
In terms of fi nish, there are just three
options – the Vintage Pearl wrap of the
review kit and two semi-gloss stains in
Vintage Onyx and Vintage Natural. You may
prefer the stains (which are slightly cheaper)
to the yellowish aged pearl. Sonor had many
cool fi nishes in the 1960-’70s – it would be
great to see a few more of those in the
future. How about it, Sonor?
Sonor has resurrected its stylish 1950s
script logo badge, as used between 1952 and
1961. Underneath though is placed a small
banner declaring ‘Sonor Vintage Series’. This
seems unnecessary and rather detracts from
the great look of the script badge.
Also revamped are the 2.3mm triple-
fl anged steel hoops. These are stamped with
‘SONOR Vintage Superprofi l’ and the top lip is
bent over and in rather than out – another
nod towards the 1950s. They are particularly
weighty and together with the long lugs and
dense beech shells make the drums heavier
than average. Other things have undergone
inevitable updates. Old Sonor drums, like
other European drums, had screwdriver-
friendly slot-headed tension screws. The
Vintage series has bowed to modern
technology and has drum key-tightened
TuneSafe tension bolts with fi ne-pitch threads.
Bass drums are undrilled, but have classic
chunky cast ‘T’ rods for tensioning, and
fold-out curvaceous spurs, all adding to the
smart and refi ned look. Small toms have a
simple small bracket for a hexagonal
mounting rod. It’s unobtrusive and much
fi rmer than the brackets of the 1950/’60s.
There are two matching wood-shelled
snare drums – a 14"x6½" and a slightly
unusually proportioned 14"x5¾". The other
interesting feature is the new snare throw-off.
The ‘Super 50’ is a rare design, based on a
1950s Sonor, and as you expect from
Sonor it’s a prettily made bit of kit. The
THE SOUND IS COMMANDINGLY
STRONG, CLEAN AND QUITE HARD.
VERY ’60S, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE
14" DEPTH AND ROUNDED EDGES
Watch our Sonor Vintage kit
video demo at
http://bit.ly/SonorVintage
RHY250.gear_sonor.indd 98 26/11/2015 20:43